


What Blossoms In Spring

by asightofdreams



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Alternate Universe - Final Haikyuu Quest, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, DATEKOU IS A FAMILY, M/M, Nymphs & Dryads, Platonic Soulmates, Rare Pairings, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, anyway, i wanted to include them all and im sad that i couldn't, please write more with them, there are more characters but i didn't want to spam the tags for characters who appear once, this rare pair is actually really cute??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-09 00:17:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12876141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asightofdreams/pseuds/asightofdreams
Summary: Futakuchi has had his soulmate’s name written on his skin his whole life. It’s on his chest, a little above the place where his heart beats - Aone Takanobu.Too bad Aone doesn't have his name anywhere on his skin.





	What Blossoms In Spring

**Author's Note:**

> Hey so this is my pinch-serve gift for ginger-rose23 on tumblr for the Fantasy Haikyuu Exchange! My creature was the nymph, and you said I could work with any characters I wanted, so I went through your blog and noticed you like Datekou, and I couldn't resist writing something for them! I decided to write for these two since I really love their canon relationship (and I found out this is actually a really cute rare pair!!)
> 
> I hope you like it!

Futakuchi has had his soulmate’s name written on his skin his whole life. It’s on his chest, a little above the place where his heart beats. Futakuchi would find it poetic really, if he were that kind of person.

The name is written in neat handwriting – _Aone Takanobu_. He wondered what kind of person his soulmate would be. Or whether they would be a person at all. Maybe they’d be a witch, maybe they’d be a nymph like Futakuchi. Maybe they’d be a demon. He doesn’t spend too long dwelling on that last one, because even if they were, it wouldn’t matter. His soulmate is his soulmate, and he would love them no matter what.

The thought is comforting. A soulmate all to his own. A person in the entire world, no, the entire universe, that was made just for him. He sits around a fire with children from the village at night, and listens to Elder Oiwake as he tells the tales of first meetings, and star-crossed soulmates who had to fight the entire world so they could be together. His eyes twinkle with wonder and longing, and he rests a hand over the name on his chest.

When he goes home, he asks his mother about her soulmate. She tells him about meeting him centuries ago, when their forest was still by the sea. How she found him washed up on the shore, and brought him to her home, nurtured him back to health. She tells him about the adventures they lived together, and about how much she loved him. (She doesn’t talk about his death, and Futakuchi doesn’t ask either. He doesn’t think about death for a long time.)

Futakuchi was lucky enough to meet his soulmate early on, when they were both children. He was playing with a squirrel in a clearing near the village when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. Looking back, he saw a tall kid with white hair and, no… eyebrows? His confusion was quickly replaced with euphoria when he introduced himself. It was _him_. His soulmate. Aone Takanobu. Futakuchi got up quickly, nearly throwing the squirrel in his lap into the air, but stopped abruptly.

Futakuchi was lucky enough to meet his soulmate early on… but not lucky enough that Aone had his name tattooed on his skin.

He could see it clear as day on Aone’s arm. The name Hinata Shouyou.

So Futakuchi did the most sensible thing and ran back home crying. His mother spent the night comforting him, and the suggestion that it might just be his platonic soulmate’s name helped calm Futakuchi down. That’s right. Some people have platonic soulmates, and sometimes people with romantic soulmates can have platonic soulmates too. That must be it. So the following day he went back to the same spot with renewed confidence and asked Aone if he had any other soulmarks.

“No.”

So Futakuchi did the most sensible thing and ran away again.

He spent a lot of time thinking that night. About what it all meant. About whether he was broken or not. His dreams of finding a soulmate had come crashing down. He traced the name on his chest, and thought about Aone. He had finally met him, he finally had a face to go along with the name, but he wasn’t Aone’s soulmate.

He cried a lot too. He knew Aone was his soulmate. He felt it when they met, a strange, almost gravitational pull towards him. A lifechanging encounter. He couldn’t just stay away from him.

That’s when it occurred to him. He didn’t have to. Futakuchi wiped away his tears and placed a hand over the name on his chest. He didn’t need to stay away. He would stand besides Aone and be his friend. That’s all he needed. He closed his eyes and beneath the palm of his hand a vine sprouted from his chest, slowly curling over his soulmark, until it was completely covered.

It’s best if no one knows. If Aone doesn’t know. So they can be friends unhindered by pity.

The next day he went back to the clearing and waited for Aone. When he did eventually show up though, Futakuchi lost his nerve. He fiddled with his fingers and averted his eyes, but eventually he looked up, gulped nervously and shouted. “Hey, be friends with me!”

He watched Aone uneasily, trying to guess what he was thinking, until Aone subtly nodded.

Futakuchi felt relief flood his chest and smiled. He took Aone’s hand and started leading him to the cool place he had found near the mountain, a few days before. Aone followed him silently, listening to everything Futakuchi was saying. He looked back to see Aone’s face and saw his lips quirk slightly at the corners. It brought a grin to Futakuchi’s own face, and he kept going. It seemed like Aone didn’t mind being with him, and it made Futakuchi feel a bit better about everything.

It didn’t matter whether Aone had his name written on his body somewhere or not. Futakuchi would be friends with Aone. No matter what.

 

 

Futakuchi breathes in and slowly exhales. He opens his eyes and nods. “I’m ready.”

High above him, standing on top of a tree branch, Aone nods back and crouches. He blinks once and then jumps through the air. Immediately, Futakuchi raises his hand and a large stalk emerges from the ground, growing at a high speed and heading straight for Aone. Aone brings his arm back and just as the stalk is about to hit him, he brings it forward, punching it. The moment his fist connects with its target, the stalk rips open, leaving a huge hole where his fist landed. He doesn’t spend much time thinking about it because he’s still falling and there’s another stalk heading straight for him. He turns awkwardly in midair and grabs the tip, steadying his feet on one of the branches. He draws his hand back and punches the stalk, once more tearing it in half with one blow. However, one of his feet slips, and he’s falling, heading straight to the ground at high speed. Futakuchi gasps below him, and rakes his brain for a solution. He raises his hands and points them at the ground where he knows Aone will land, willing soft leaves to grow from the earth and form a safe bedding for him to land on.

His eyes flit up, and he panics. He knows he won’t make it in time. Aone is falling too fast, he’s already near the ground. Futakuchi can only watch, helplessly looking at his friend, waiting for his body to be crushed right before his eyes. “Aone!”

Right as he yells out his name, Aone stops, just a few inches from the ground. He floats in midair for a few seconds before gently landing on the ground. They look at each other in confusion for a moment before a frantic voice cuts through the air. “Are you guys alright?”

They look to their right to see Moniwa burst from the trees, with Kamasaki and Sasaya trailing behind him.

“Eh, Moniwa? What are you doing here?”

Moniwa reaches them and immediately begins examining Aone, looking for any injuries. “We just finished our studies for today, so we came to check up on you. And good thing we did too, looks like we got here just in time.” Moniwa sighs, and takes a few steps back, finding nothing to worry about.

Futakuchi blinks. “So… you were the one who saved Aone?”

Sasaya bumps Moniwa’s shoulder, smiling slightly. “Of course he did, he’s the only sorcerer here after all.”

Futakuchi’s heart drops. “Oh.” He glances at Aone. If Moniwa hadn’t been there, Aone would have died.

“Hey, don’t underestimate our sorcerer apprentice here!” Kamasaki grins and ruffles Moniwa’s hair, effectively flustering the brunette, which only makes him grin harder.

Moniwa pushes Kamasaki’s hand away, and coughs. “Anyway, you guys need to be careful. I know you’re excited about finally beginning your training, but you’re still only 12. You can’t just run off on your own and practice these dangerous moves. You can get seriously hurt, or even die.”

“Yeah, yeah. We get it.”

“Hey, listen to—”

“It won’t happen again.”

Kamasaki goes quiet. “Huh?”

Moniwa and Sasaya look surprised too. “Th—then, lets’ go back to the village.”

Futakuchi nods, and they begin the trek back.

They walk back to the village silently, and promptly bid their goodbyes as soon as they get to the entrance. Futakuchi and Aone stand quietly for a moment, watching the others leave before Futakuchi speaks. “Hey, let’s go to the clearing.” It’s not a question, but Aone nods anyway, and follows him there.

Futakuchi plops down on the grass and Aone sits beside him. They stay there, allowing the sunset’s warm rays to shine on them. “You almost died.”

Aone doesn’t say anything, but Futakuchi feels his eyes boring into the side of his face, so he continues. “You almost died, and yet you still acted the same, like nothing happened.”

Only silence greets him, and Futakuchi snaps, finally turning to face Aone. “Why didn’t you yell? You were falling to your death. Weren’t you mad at me? Weren’t you scared?”

Futakuchi’s breath comes out in short gasps as he watches Aone, waiting for an answer.

“I wasn’t scared.”

Futakuchi stills. “…what?”

“I knew nothing bad would happen to me, because you were there.”

There it is. He can see the trust and fondness in Aone’s eyes, and he knows he’s being earnest. Futakuchi doesn’t know how to deal with that. So he doesn’t. He looks away, ignoring the heat rising through his neck, and the vine on his chest tightens, nearly painfully.

He stands up and extends his hand, still not quite facing Aone. “Let’s go home.”

Aone takes it, and stands beside him with a nod. He doesn’t let go of Futakuchi’s hand though, simply adjusting his hold on it and gently rubbing his thumb over the back. “Ok.”

It’s a simple gesture, but it puts Futakuchi at ease. Aone is there beside him. That’s all that matters.

 

 

“Hey you guys, be careful! Don’t—”

A loud splash interrupts Moniwa and he’s left with his hand hanging in midair and a sense of defeat in his chest. “—just jump into the water…” Moniwa sighs in resignation, but can’t quite suppress the smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Oi Moniwa, don’t just stand there! Come join us! The water is great.” Futakuchi whose head had finally emerged after jumping into the river, started waving wildly at him. Futakuchi could tell the exact moment Moniwa gave up trying to study the scrolls he brought along, and a smirk fills his face when Moniwa starts taking off his robes. He opens his mouth to make a smart quip about sorcerers needing to spend time with the elements in order to master them but before he can, a hand lands in his head, dunking him in the water.

“Stop bothering Moniwa, you brat!” Kamasaki yells pretty loudly, but Futakuchi doesn’t catch any of it since he’s still under water.

He comes up for air and gasps, glaring at Kamasaki while breathing heavily. “What the hell was that for?”

“Hah? Didn’t you hear me?”

“Oh, I’m sorry but I can’t hear under water. Maybe I’d be able to if I had a fish brain like yours.”

“Why you—”

Kamasaki wades through the water, until he reaches him and Futakuchi smirks. He hears Moniwa tell Aone to stop them, and they both turn just in time to see Aone take off his shirt and jump into the river near them. A bit of water splashes Futakuchi in the face, and then Aone emerges right beside them. He lifts his hands and pushes them away from each other, Kamasaki by the shoulder and Futakuchi by the face.

It’s a silly thing really, but Aone looks cute with his hair wet and he’s close, too close, and Futakuchi feels the vine over his chest curl a little tighter over the name on it. Whether it’s covering it better so Aone doesn’t see it out of reflex, or something else, he doesn’t know, but he quickly turns his head and moves a little farther away. “Ok, ok, we get it. Let’s just have some fun.”

Aone nods at him and for a while they just swim and mess around in the water. They do eventually get out though, when they feel hungry. They head for the tree where they had left their stuff and dry themselves with towels. Futakuchi has the vine carefully hiding his soulmate mark, but he still always faces away from everyone else whenever it’s exposed. He watches Aone though. Scanning every inch of exposed skin from the corner of his eye, searching for his name, but he never finds it. He always looks though. He always looks.

Aone turns to him, giving him a questioning look. Futakuchi realizes everyone else had already gotten dressed and is heading home, while Aone is waiting for him. He quickly looks away, embarrassed at being caught staring. “Ah, I’m starving.”

He looks back at Aone to see him nod. “Let’s go eat.”

Futakuchi sighs in relief and throws on his shirt. He approaches Aone and they follow their friends back to the village. “Yeah, let’s go.”

 

 

Things are great he thinks. They’re seventeen, and best friends, and the whole soulmate thing isn’t a problem at all. They spend time together anyway, and they trust and understand each other better than anyone else. Futakuchi couldn’t be happier. Their relationship didn’t need a soulmark to grow.

He’s walking through the village with Aone, Koganegawa and Sakunami, and it’s such a beautiful day he can feel the forest vibrating with life even though autumn is already coming to a close.

“I keep making all these mistakes.” Koganegawa laments. “I’ll never be as good a sorcerer as Moniwa.”

Futakuchi laughs. “Of course not. Moniwa has been studying magic for a lot longer than you.”

Koganegawa inhales sharply with a small, offended yelp, and then slouches. Beside him Sakunami rubs his arm, comfortingly. “There, there.”

“It doesn’t matter. Just keep working hard. We’ll support you,” Aone supplies. Koganegawa looks at him in surprise, and then starts sniffling.

“Thank you so much Aone! I’ll work hard to become a great sorcerer and help everyone in the village!”

“My, what a noble goal.” Futakuchi chuckles.

They’re suddenly interrupted by a loud commotion. They stop in the middle of the street, and look around in confusion. “What’s going on?” Futakuchi asks.

“It seems to be coming from the village entrance,” Sakunami replies.

“Let’s go see what’s happening,” Koganegawa says. They start heading toward the village entrance and find a huge crowd gathered around something.

“What, is the whole village gathered here or what?” Futakuchi mutters. When they finally reach the crowd, they stop and look at the center of the commotion. In the middle of that huge gathering stood a small group of travelers looking around in various levels of discomfort. There was a handsome knight, a shy sorcerer hiding deeper and deeper into his cloak, a broody archer and a short redhead.

Futakuchi watches the strange group in amusement, and turns to see his friend’s reactions. Koganegawa seemed to be in awe of the adventurers, which draws a chuckle out of Futakuchi. Sakunami on the other hand, is standing on the tips of his feet, but he still can’t see above the crowd. Futakuchi’s about to tell Sakunami what’s going on, when the shorty of the bunch yells loudly. “My name is Hinata Shouyou. My party and I are on a journey to defeat the great Demon King and free the land from his evil rule.”

Futakuchi freezes. He can feel Aone tense beside him and he slowly turns to look at him. His eyes are wide and his mouth is agape as he stares at the redhead in wonder. As he stares at _Hinata_ in wonder. The name is written on his arm, but Futakuchi doesn’t need to look at it to make sure. He would never forget the name engraved on his soulmate’s skin. The name that isn’t his.

Futakuchi wants to say something, anything, but something grips his throat and leaves him unable to utter a single word. Aone’s eyes are full of adoration and longing, and Futakuchi hurts so bad. Then Aone is moving, pushing through the crowd, and Futakuchi raises his hand to stop him, but he’s too late, the tips of his fingers missing Aone by a hairsbreadth, so near yet just out of reach, just the way Aone has always been to him.

Aone breaks through the crowd and approaches the short redhead and Futakuchi can do nothing but watch. His companions tense, and he can see the archer grab his bow in distrust.

“Hinata Shouyou.”

Hinata looks surprised. “Eh?”

“My name is Aone Takanobu.”

The shorty’s eyes widen and he grips his left shoulder. “Ah! You’re my soulmate.”

They boy’s companions look taken aback but relax from their battle stance, watching Aone curiously.

Futakuchi’s lips stretch to form a fine line, and he lets his hand fall to his side. _Ahh. This is it._ It’s not like he thought it would never happen, he knew it was just a matter of time until Aone found his soulmate, it’s just, he had hoped— no. It doesn’t matter. Hinata is here, and that means his pure, simple days beside Aone are over.

Futakuchi walks in silence, trailing behind the little group as Aone leads them to Elder Oiwake’s home. There, Oiwake sends Koganegawa and Sakunami to fetch Mai and Moniwa so they can have a meeting with the travelers. When they arrive, they all take a seat around the dining room table. Aone sits at the end of the table, and Futakuchi sits beside him, directly opposite Hinata. He doesn’t meet his eyes though. He keeps them trained on the table, watching the cracks in the wood.

“So, you’re trying to defeat the great Demon King.”

The swordsman, Iwaizumi as he had introduced himself responded, “We _will_ defeat him.”

“I see.” Elder Oiwake rubs his nose and gestures toward Hinata. “And I heard that you’re Aone’s soulmate?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Hinata nods and rolls his sleeve up to reveal Aone’s name neatly written on his shoulder. Futakuchi stares harder at the table and small plants start to grow from the cracks on the wood. “Though I really wasn’t expecting to find him here. It seems like I’ve finally found all of my soulmates.”

At that Futakuchi finally lifts his eyes. “What?”

Beside him, Aone’s eyes widen as well, and everyone looks at the redhead in surprise.

“Ah, Aone isn’t my only soulmate.” Hinata removes one of his gloves and shows another name written on it.

“Kageyama Tobio?” Mai asks, brows furrowed in confusion.

“That’s me.” The broody archer sighs, and crosses his arms glaring at Hinata. “Don’t just show off your soulmarks like that, dumbass.”

“Oh, sorry. I forgot you get embarrassed.”

“I’m not embarrassed!”

Moniwa who had been silent up until then, asks. “You said all of your soulmates. Are there more?”

Hinata’s face darkens. “Yeah one more.” He turns and pulls up his shirt, until his shoulder blade is revealed. There in small neat handwriting, the name Oikawa Tooru is engraved.

Futakuchi slams his hands on the table and stands up. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Not only do you have a bunch of soulmates, but one of them is the great Demon King?”

Hinata nods. “Yeah, that’s why I have to be the one to defeat him.”

Futakuchi sees Iwaizumi shift from the corner of his eye, but he ignores it in favor of continuing. “Ah, our great hero. Go ahead then, no reason to stay here.”

“We were just stopping by to rest and stock up on supplies.”

“You’re welcome to take anything,” Oiwake says, gesturing around him.

Futakuchi smiles. “Yeah, and then you can go. Don’t let us take up your time.”

“Can I join you?”

Futakuchi freezes, and draws in a sharp breath, staring at Aone in shock. The whole table is silent, focusing on the exchange between Hinata and Aone.

“Oh.” Hinata examines him. “Can you fight?”

Aone nods.

Hinata shifts in his seat, looking over Aone. “It’ll be very dangerous and there’s a chance we’ll all die. Are you sure you want to join us?”

Aones nods again, and a smile breaks into Hinata’s face. “Then you’re free to come!”

Futakuchi swallows thickly and looks around more than a little frantically. Moniwa looks away, avoiding his gaze, and besides him Mai gives him a pitying look. Across the table Oiwake catches his eye, and Futakuchi turns to face him more fully, trying to keep his voice level. “Is that really alright though, Elder Oiwake? It’s nearing winter and you know how much help Aone is, not to mention the village would lose one of its best fighters. What will happen if the Demon King attacks us while he’s gone?”

Oiwake clasps his hands and looks between him and Aone contemplatively. “No, we’ll be fine. There’s enough manpower to prepare for winter, and we have plenty of talented fighters here. Our veterans are skilled, and our apprentices show plenty of promise. Aone can go.”

Futakuchi looks back at Aone to see him share a tender smile with the redhead. He lets out a bitter laugh. “Well then, it looks like you’re really going. Good luck trying to defeat the great Demon King with a brutish knight, a weird sorcerer, a clearly dumb archer and some shrimp.” He ignores the outraged, and outright angry looks the group sends his way, as well as Moniwa calling out his name, in favor of heading out and closing the door behind him forcefully, not noticing the table cracking in half because of the plants growing from it.

 

 

“I still think you shouldn’t go.”

The early morning rays fall peacefully over the village as Futakuchi and Aone walk slowly to the entrance where Aone’s new companions await him. Futakuchi looks over at Aone, heavy bag swinging over his shoulder. “You can die, you know?”

“It doesn’t matter. Someone has to do it.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

Futakuchi doesn’t have an answer for that. They reach the entrance and stop. The little mismatched group of adventurers was already there, stretching lightly and checking their supplies for the road. Hinata notices their arrival and smiles, waving their way enthusiastically.

Aone waves back and Futakuchi sighs in contempt. Aone turns to him, and stares expectantly. Futakuchi shifts his weight, and looks away. He stumbles a bit on what to say but decides to be straightforward for once. “Good luck.”

Aone nods and reaches over, hand brushing lightly over his and giving a light squeeze, before he pulls away and moves toward the group.

Futakuchi watches him as he reaches the group, and they gather their stuff to leave. He sees Aone give him one last look, before he starts on his way, walking beside the bouncy redhead. He watches them go until they’re nothing but small dots in the distance, and doesn’t move until he can no longer see them. He starts walking home slowly, when he suddenly feels Aone’s presence leave his forest. He stops in the middle of the path and looks up at the sky, as the leaves from the trees around him start decaying and falling, landing in the soft earth, and forming a thin layer of death.

 

 

He grows even more bitter.

It’s not something he did on purpose, but he is perfectly aware of it, and how unfair it is to his friends. Still, it’s not something he can stop. He’s been feeling this bitterness slowly consume him since Aone left, and he’s too selfish to do anything to stop it.

“Hey, do you mind giving me a hand here?”

It’s winter already, and he’s supposed to help the village stock up on wood, as well as try and recover a last few crops. Normally, he and Aone would work on it together, but he isn’t there now, so Futakuchi’s stuck with Kamasaki in the middle of the woods for hours, which isn’t exactly his preferred way of spending time.

He shifts to a more comfortable position, lying down on a tree branch and smirks at Kamasaki. “What? Our amazing, and strong swordsman can’t lift a few logs by himself?”

Kamasaki grunts, trying to lift one of the trees he’d successfully cut down, to place it in a better position to chop it into smaller pieces. “Stop being a little shit, and come help me out.”

“Oh? What’s in it for me?”

“Just… get over here.”

“I’m really not in the mood.”

“Stop it, and help me.”

“I don’t remember owing you anything.”

Suddenly Kamasaki drops the tree, that lands on the ground with a loud thud. “That’s it! I’ve had it with you.”

He starts walking purposively towards Futakuchi, and Futakuchi sits up straight with a grin on his face. He slides down the tree trunk until he lands on the ground. “Oh, so you’re mad now?”

“Moniwa said to be careful with you, but I’m done.” At that, the grin vanishes off Futakuchi’s face and his eyebrows furrow in disdain. Moniwa said what now? Kamasaki reaches him and tugs him by the collar of his winter coat, bringing him dangerously close to his face. “You need to get a grip, man! This is getting out of control!”

Futakuchi snarls. “What the hell are you talking about?” He knows exactly what Kamasaki is talking about, yet he pretends not to, equal parts because he’s pissed off that apparently his friends had been carefully dancing around him so as to not hurt his feelings, and because he’s an asshole.

“Ever since Aone left, you’ve been acting even more like an asshole.”

“And what’s the matter with that?”

“What’s the matter? Look around you!” Kamasaki drops one of his hands from Futakuchi’s collar and gestures wildly around them. “Winter came earlier this year, the entire river froze, we’ve had snow like I’ve never seen in my entire life, and I haven’t seen a single living creature outside the village!”

“How is that my fault?”

“You’re the damn nymph of this forest!”

“What do you want me to do about it?”

“You should have just told Aone how you feel!”

Futakuchi’s eyes widen. He holds his breath, feeling his heart pound quicker. “What?”

Kamasaki seems to realize his mistake and lets go of his collar, taking a step back. He sighs and covers his face with his hands. “Ah man, what a mess.” He rubs the back of his head, but turns back to Futakuchi with a determined look on his face. “You should have told him how you feel.”

“You… you know?”

Kamasaki sighs. “Everyone knows. It’s pretty obvious.”

Futakuchi purses his lips. So this whole time everyone knew about it.

“I’m guessing that’s probably why you have that vine over your chest too, isn’t it?”

Futakuchi pales. They know about his soul mark too?

“Listen, it doesn’t matter who your soulmate is or that Aone isn’t your soulmate. If you love someone, isn’t that enough?”

Futakuchi sighs in relief. So they don’t know. They don’t know the name on his chest is Aone’s. They don’t know that he’s broken.

“Hey, I know I’m probably not the person you wanna hear this from. I mean heaven knows you annoy me, but we all take care of each other, right?” He sighs. “I just want you to be happy.”

Futakuchi stares hard at the ground and bites his lip.

He looks up at Kamasaki, and snorts with a disdainful smile. “Well, well, when did you become such a wise person?” He sees Kamasaki narrow his eyes, but he continues, clapping his hands together for added effect. “My, I think you should make a living out of this. Maybe you can replace Elder Oiwake, when the time comes. Become the new village leader and guide everyone with your wonderful advice.”

“What did you say?” Kamasaki steps towards him again, but Futakuchi takes a few steps back.

“Really, thank you so much. As a matter in fact, I’m leaving right now to make some flower crowns of love and bring spring back earlier.”

“Hey Futakuchi, wait!”

But Futakuchi was already gone, disappearing into the thick trees, in the snow, leaving behind a fuming Kamasaki with a bunch of logs to carry back to the village on his own.

 

 

Futakuchi curses in frustration, and finally sits down on the oak tree. He breathes in deeply and watches the forest around him. The sky is completely grey, as it has been for the past few months, and the entire landscape is covered in snow. He breathes out. “Hey mom?” The wind picks up and whistles softly as it passes through the bare tree branches.

“I… don’t know what to do.” Futakuchi fiddles with the hems of his sleeves and burrows deeper into the tree. “This whole time, I thought I could just spend time with Aone, and not worry about the soulmate thing, but he left now. Off to defeat the great Demon King with his soulmate beside him, and I don’t even know if he’ll ever come back.”

Futakuchi sighs. “I just want him to be okay.” He feels the oak tree shift around him, making itself more comfortable for him. Futakuchi smiles at that and pulls his legs closer to his chest. “Yeah, you’re right. He’s strong, he’ll probably come back.”

He stares off into the distance. “But… what will I do then?”

The wind slows, softly caressing his cheeks, and the oak wood wraps around him even more. Futakuchi’s eyes widen and he places a hand over his chest, just below the vine covering Aone’s name. Right over his heart. Slowly a smile stretches over his face, and he clutches the fabric of his coat. “Yeah, we are friends. I guess that will never change.”

“Thank you, mom.”

 

 

It gets better after that.

The winter isn’t as cold anymore, and while the ice does thaw slowly when spring comes, it still does.

Futakuchi helps a lot around the village during that time. He realized that maybe pushing his friends away wasn’t exactly the best course of action. He’s pretty sure Kamasaki gave him a smug smile when he returned to the village to apologize, but before Futakuchi could properly look Kamasaki was already doubled over in pain, with a smiling Moniwa by his side.

Futakuchi is helping Obara with a few herbs around his shop, Mai singing a soft little tune behind the counter as she looks over a few papers for Oiwake, when it happens. His eyes widen, and his back straightens as he turns to look at the shop entrance.

“Hey Futakuchi, is everything okay?” Obara asks in mild concern, in the middle of moving a few pots.

Futakuchi bolts out the door, not answering Obara’s question. He hears Mai call out to him in confusion but ignores it as he speeds past the village entrance and down the forest path.

It’s _him_.

Aone has just entered the forest.

Futakuchi’s breathing heavily, legs carrying him as fast as he can, heart pounding in his ears. Until he’s nearly gliding over the grass, the wind itself making his feet lighter. He stops suddenly as he sights Aone’s figure. The breath is nearly knocked from his lungs. Aone is different. Not physically. He still has the same short hair, the same tall stature and the same lack of eyebrows, but something about him seems different. He has this peaceful kind of aura, like he’s found something of himself on the journey.

Futakuchi feels a bit breathless. “Hey.”

Aone seems surprised to see him, but a soft smile spreads across his face nonetheless, and he crosses the distance between them to hug him. It’s a firm hug, and warm in the chill of early spring, but it feels like coming home. Futakuchi pulls back, and smiles a bit awkwardly. “Welcome home.”

Aone nods, and they both head back to the village at a much slower pace.

 

 

“So you guys literally managed to stop the great Demon King with true love’s kiss?”

Aone nods back, and Futakuchi laughs heartily, throwing his head back and slamming his hand against the tree below him.

After Aone had finally returned the entire village was in an uproar. The fact that one of their prized children had returned and with the news that the great Demon King had been defeated too. Everyone was absolutely ecstatic. After being congratulated by every single person in the village, and finally managing to shake off their friends, they are now sitting on top of the old oak tree, talking about Aone’s journey.

Futakuchi finally settles down, and wipes away a tear from the corner of his eye. He sees Aone gently fiddling with some of the few leaves that had already grown in the spring. The warm sunset light is hitting him so softly. It fills Futakuchi’s heart with something warm, and he shifts slightly, leaning back into the tree in what he hopes is a casual way. “So, in the end, Hinata wasn’t your romantic soulmate, huh?”

Aone nods. He takes a moment, and then adds on. “He’s special to me. I feel… good, around him.”

Futakuchi nods back, pushing down the feelings of bitterness.

“But… I feel good with you too. It’s… different.” Aone stops, mulling over his words carefully. “Hinata is important to me… and so are you.”

Futakuchi can feel his heart pounding in his chest. It’s comforting to know, that he’s as important as Aone’s soulmate. He smiles “Thanks. You’re… important to me too.”

Aone watches him for a moment, and then moves closer taking Futakuchi’s hand in his and squeezing it gently. He looks into Futakuchi’s eyes, and leans over, stopping just a few inches away.

Futakuchi doesn’t know what to do. His mind stopped working. Aone is so close, he can feel his breath ghosting over his lips. His heart is hammering wildly in his chest. What’s going on?

Futakuchi searches Aone’s eyes for a hint, for something that tells him how Aone feels, but he’s looking at Futakuchi the way he always has. With the same gentle care that leaves Futakuchi floundering.

Futakuchi takes a deep breath, shuts his eyes tightly and closes the distance between them, and then they’re kissing and it’s much more wonderful than Futakuchi had ever imagined it would be. (Not that he’d imagined it before or anything. Okay maybe once or twice, or a lot, but it doesn’t matter because Aone is there and they’re kissing and it’s the most amazing feeling in the world.)

He pulls back and blinks a bit dazedly, and he can’t quite handle the loving way Aone is looking at him, so he leans forward and hides his face in Aone’s chest, a goofy smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He sees Aone hesitantly raise his arm in his peripheral vision, and feels a gentle, feather-light touch, as he runs his hand through Futakuchi’s hair. Futakuchi shivers and leans closer, pressing himself into Aone as his smile grows.

Suddenly he freezes. A bit of skin on Aone’s hip had been exposed when he leaned over, and there, in pale, barely visible cursive, is his name. Futakuchi Kenji.

Futakuchi feels something bloom inside him, and spread through his chest, slowly rising through his throat and then he’s laughing, soft petals falling from his mouth as his hand clutches his chest, and tears flood his eyes in relief. His name is there on Aone’s skin. He’s Aone’s soulmate. He sees Aone’s eyes search his in confusion, and he settles down. He pulls up his shirt and smiles. The vine curled over his chest since that day in the clearance all those years ago, slowly drew back revealing Aone’s name underneath.

“Oh.”

Around them the forest turns greener, and flowers suddenly blossom in the trees and over the grass.

Aone smiles and reaches for his hand, taking it slowly in his and squeezing it gently. He leans forward, and presses their foreheads together, as they laugh in joy.

Spring had finally arrived, and their story begins anew.

**Author's Note:**

> So your prompts were soulmate AU, angst and childhood friends AU, so I decided to combine ALL three of them! I also noticed you like (liked?) OiHina so I added something with them too! I really hope you like it!!
> 
> Also, I took some liberties with the nymph prompt. Instead of a particular tree, or river, Futakuchi is the personification of the entire forest itself. I hope that's alright.
> 
> I thought long and hard about whether or not Aone would have Futakuchi's name somewhere, since I wanted to convey that their relationship itself was the most important thing and not a soulmark or anything like that but then I thought this would probably fit the soulmate AU prompt better (I also wanted to make it clear that platonic relationships are just as important as romantic ones, I hope I managed to convey that well!)


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